by Reena Daruwalla, guest writer for Nancy Hayssen.com

If you are a regular reader here, you probably read the rant about Barbie dolls and our views on the subject. It was the comment made on Nancy’s post, the body shop “love your body” ad, “…I wish real Barbies looked like that” that really set me thinking that we all send out a message to our kids by the kind of toys we give them to play with and if a Barbie doll is the toy of choice then what is the message that sends out.

Anyway this is not another rant, this is a tribute to the creators of the Big Beautiful Dolls concept. These are dolls that I really don’t think I mind my four year old playing with. This is a cute, curvy cuddly looking doll and sends my child the message that it’s OK to be REAL woman, and that it is not necessary to aspire to some unattainable supermodel size.

Initially designed in 1999, these plus sized, full figured dolls were created to give consumers a wider choice of toys to select from the market and their “mission and goal back then, as it is today; is to offer a fuller figured, more curvy fashion doll to the doll world that not only provides greater choice of dolls, but that also celebrates real women with curves”.

The doll not only celebrates full figured women, it also celebrates women of all hues and you can choose one from their three dolls Daisa, Dawn and Dena. Dawn is blonde, and loves fashion, Daisa has an Aretha Franklin version and Dena is a photographer.

Among the BB dolls is also a Tribute doll inspired by a real person; Madam C.J. Walker, the first self-made woman millionaire. She was the daughter of former slaves and worked as a laundress for 20 years of her life and it is easy to see how someone like that would be a tremendously inspiring influence on anyone.

Here are some BB doll tributes:

“ I received my Big Beautiful Doll on Friday February 1, 2002 and I Love Her! I just thought I’d let you know. It was worth the wait.” Monique

“ I love all three! I think of women shapes like driving, a straight road is fun at the first quarter mile (for drag racing) but later boring, a road with lots of curves is exciting, it tests your wits, reflexes and endurances!” Paul

Res ipsa loquitur!